For the next few hours, we just sat there, silent and guilty. Or at least, I was feeling guilty. Tension hung in the air; saying nothing and everything at the same time. Neither one of us spoke, but we could both hear each other's thoughts. "Mandy I - " I started to say. "Don't - speak to me!" she snapped, "you know that I would never betray you - neither would your brother! You are a clingy, unstable child who can't even handle sharing the love of your brother!" That shut me up. Tears welled up in my eyes once more; the silence returned with a thicker coating of tension. Another hour passed and I was beginning to feel queasy with guilt.
"I know that I hurt you - " I started. "You more than hurt me!" she snapped. "I know, I know." I said softy, my heart breaking all over again, "I never meant to hurt you, just to stop myself from getting hurt. You're my best friend - I didn't want to lose you to my brother. I didn't want to lose my brother either. I didn't want to be the third wheel!" "You would never be the third wheel, " Mandy said, her voice cracking, "you are the bridge between us. You always have been and always will be. You are like my family. At least you were. Until now."
YOU ARE READING
The Portal to Reflection
Short StoryMandy and Leah are regular 16-year-olds; they have sleepovers, watch movies, etc. Their social statuses could not be more different, though. When Mandy admits to dating Leah's older brother, Jake, Leah is reminded once again of how inconsequential...
